That Would Be Telling: A Coming of Age Novel

by Daniel Rossi Vargas

That Would Be Telling is a coming of age story about friendship, love, and desire — one shaped by family grief and anger, and later by war. The story opens in July 1960, as Portugal lurches toward a bloody independence war in Angola. Daniel Vargas is nearly eighteen. A year and a half before, church bells brought in Christmas Day and took away his mother. They took away his father too, but to an abyss of grief and non-stop work. Daniel’s own grief flares up ungoverned, and so does anger at his father. On the way home to Portugal, Daniel stops to see his adopted French cousin Mireille. Her latest Together they will figure out sex, as they did tennis. Yikes! He sucked at tennis. Their childhood friend Teresa is visiting, so the plan just simmers. All three grew up in Portugal, but Mireille moved to Bordeaux at fifteen. Resisting her will be a roller-coaster, so Daniel finds solace with his twenty-something beach neighbor. Admittedly “not easy to bed,” she keeps letting him try. Meanwhile, he is a Good Samaritan to a sick classmate. Accidental nudity ensues, and she stops thinking him a despicable snob. All this, the Mireille roller-coaster too, amuses Teresa. Why does that depress Daniel no end? Thousands are butchered in Angola, and the war is on. It will last fourteen years. Daniel gets this expert “If you won’t cozy up to a safe posting, enlist before AK-47s replace the machetes.” Daniel confronts his fears, questions his courage and his integrity. He tells no one until it’s too late. That Would Be Telling is also the story of a place and a time. Hemmed between Spain and the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is just ninety miles wide and has fewer people than New York City. Yet, it once rivaled Spain for possession of the newly discovered lands. At the time of the story, under a fascist regime for the last thirty years, the country hangs on to an ethos of longing for the past. Among the outward signs are buildings faced with decorative tiles, a 15th century custom borrowed from the Moors; sidewalks made one small white stone at a time, often using black stones for intricate designs; an old neighborhood institution, that unique fusion of café-bar and pastry shop. The rooster on the cover is the product of a fanciful 16th century legend. It is often used as a symbol of Portugal. He is also a bit player in this story.

341 pages, Paperback

Published August 28, 2019

Reviews

[Stacy Charles]

That Would Be Telling was written by Daniel Rossi Vargas. The author tells of Daniel’s exploration of his sexuality. Daniel’s mind is filled with turmoil as he struggles to grieve his mother’s passing and tumultuous relationship with his father. The author explores the meaning of family, and one of the themes elaborated on in the plot is that of family and friendships.

The author takes readers on a journey filled with sexual tension as Daniel explores sexuality and desire. The tension in this coming-of-age novel presents dialogue and scenery that are carefully described. There appears to be little chemistry between Daniel and Theresa; the text asserts that sparks fly, but they fail to catch fire fully. It tells of lust and longing, but Daniel faces rejection in the dreaded friend zone. The dialogue is pedestrian, and at times it’s so realistic that it dulls the scene’s excitement. Though an essential part of romance is escapism, the book’s characters are ordinary and lacking.

Albeit the sentiment is conceivable and has a lot of possibilities, it's likewise dampened by missed chances. An excessive amount of detail kills the energy. Parts are anxious to relate definitively to what occurred. However, this information comes at the expense of taking a subtle approach leaving it to the imagination. A presentation that frames each plot point deletes any expectation of shock and spoils the novel's twists and turns.

Varga’s writing is clear and emotive; it appears effortless, but as all the strands of the plot come together, a rich and satisfying tapestry results. That Would Be Telling is a coming-of-age fiction that may be an excellent addition to anyone looking for an evocative read.

[Conscientious]

That Would Be Telling: A Coming of Age Novel by Daniel Rossi Vargas is the story of a young man on a soulful journey as he undergoes various turmoil through his life. Primarily set in Portugal during 1960, there is an interesting showcase of history and culture. Daniel is still grieving the loss of his mother while the relationship with his father is in chaos. Daniel's interest in the opposite sex is quite marred with complexities and it doesn't seem to quite be in place for him. As Daniel ventures into adulthood, the story is intertwined and intensified as the war looms, depicting Daniel's realization of family and friendships values and his sexuality.

The author has given soul to his narrative with strong interactions, characters with depths and overall sculpted a masterpiece which transforms the reader alongside. I cannot help but ponder the extent of life's experiences and relationships shapes actions and decisions of an individual. Overall, a thoroughly brilliant story that took me to places, kept me glued with the misadventures and the humor and most importantly had me enthralled with various emotions. This is a must read to truly experience a genius rarity.

[Mayra]

That Would Be Telling by Daniel Rossi Vargas is a amusing coming of age story mixed with drama, humor and an inch of sexual tension. The story opens in July 1960, as Portugal lurches toward a bloody independence war in its Angola colony. Daniel Vargas, the male protagonist, is nearly eighteen. In the story he explores the timeless complexities of family relationships, schooling concerns, romantic love, and tumescent desire concomitant with a young man's life. The main character's mind is filled with ideas and thoughts and struggles to grieve his mother’s passing and difficult relationship with his father. The author explores the meaning of family and friendships in an interesting way.

A point I want to highlight about this book in particular is that the plot itself is unpredictable. I found it hard to guess what will happen next. Besides some readers may find this odd, that's something I like in a book. From my point of view, the writing style means everything in this story. The author uses fantastic clever dialogues and inner thoughts that made me get closer to the characters. I fell in love with Daniel completely.

[Chico's Mom]

Funny coming of age story.
That would be telling is a humorous and sensual coming of age story of a young man named Daniel. A lot of sexual tension and pretty wonderful and powerful women all trying to seduce this “young man” or maybe just object of their desires. I would say reading it is like peeking into a young man's illicit dreams. There was the flirty adopted cousin, the Mrs. Robinson type, the classmate and the best friend. The plot is very mature but the characters are pretty juvenile I think, except for Aurelia. It is very well written, to the likes of young Pablo Neruda kind of lifestyle. If you look at the story, although Daniel is the main character, the women in the book have all the power. The book also tackled a lot of family drama which makes it another interesting reason to read it. The novel also included some historical events that helped set the mood for the scenes. I would read this book again.

[Pearl]

That Would Be Telling: A Coming of Age Novel, written by Daniel Rossi Vargas, is one of the books that I think would be difficult to forget because of its storytelling that is unique, different, and sophisticated. I admit that at first I had a bit of a difficult time understanding it and connecting to the characters but as I progressed, I found that the book becomes more and more interesting.

What I love about this book in particular is that it was unpredictable. It was definitely hard to guess what will happen in the next pages, and that's something that I like in a book. Also, the fact that it has French references make it even more interesting. I also loved the timeframe and the locations featured in this book. I would definitely recommend!

[Susan B]

Author Daniel Rossi Vargas has done a great job developing a storyline that naturally tells historical events mingled in a blistering work of fiction with a modern approach.
Lots of themes coexist in this book, being drama and action some of the main ones, and all of them have been exquisitely put forth.
The story itself is charming and loaded with fast-paced sequences of events. This helps readers follow the chapters and delve easily into their core. I won't really spoil plotwise since the book’s description is detailed and precise, I will say I loved how the story went and I am pretty sure any type of reader will also have fun reading it!

[Liz]

"That Would Be Telling: A Coming of Age Novel" is a novel written by Daniel Rossi Vargas, in which the author explores the protagonist's life from adolescence to maturity. Daniel's life was not easy, his parents died when he was a teenager and the war was just around the corner.

I really liked the author's writing style; the way of narrating the story in the first person makes the reader feel part of the story at all times. Another thing to highlight is that the reader learns a lot about the history of Portugal, which makes the reading itself very valuable. I highly recommend this reading very much!

[Kourtney Bradley]

perfectly projected

I always love a good coming of age story that has the ability to pull me in right off the bat and this one was a perfect fit for my expectations. The situation in Portugal is projected perfectly in a way to capture the times that the communities were dealing with. There are some parts of the book that made me a bit uncomfortable, but I think that’s what the author was trying to achieve by sharing the story. Entering adulthood is tricky and can be overwhelming to some, and this was presented well with Daniel’s character throughout. Definitely a story that I would recommend to readers who enjoy coming of age stories with some internal conflict.

[Sachi Ito]

Very interesting story

Like the title says, this is a coming of age story set in 1960. We are introduced to Daniel, the main character, on his way home to Portugal. From there, we are taken on a journey that involves family and friendships, and scrutinizes their significance in our lives. Daniel, who is angry with his father, is battling the grief of losing his mother.
Daniel Rossi Vargas did a great job with depicting all of the details in this historical fiction story, even tackling things like mental health. I really enjoyed this book, it’s different than most other fictional novels.

[Tara Dodson]

a descriptive novel

That Would Be Telling is a story about the virility of youth and the many interludes of ones life. It’s about love and loss, personal growth and romantic stagnation. It tells how the woes of relationship and wars weigh heavy on a youngsters heart and mind, more so than one would guess. This was provocative and descriptive story about the wins and losses in life. An enchanting read.